Of Course it Happened That Way

Probably for my first time EVER, I did not dread Mother's Day!  This year, there was actually something to look forward to.
It's because Mother's Day is ONE of the two-times-a-year that missionaries are allowed to call home!!! :)
Christmas is the other day that they are allowed to call.  And last Christmas, Ryan informed us he'd be calling at a certain time.....and then we waited 3 HOURS until he actually did! (When they are at someone else's house, they have to wait until they can set them up on their device - and if they're busy making dinner, it isn't a good time to ask for help, etc.)
So....we were kind of suspecting that his Mother's Day call would be the same; we took the time he told us, then added 1+ hours.

With this theory in mind, we had our children stay at church for Primary.  It is tradition in our ward that the Youth take over teaching/leading/directing the Primary children on Mother's Day, so all the usual Primary workers (many women) have the "day off" and can attend the adult classes in church that day.  Well, Kyle & Haylee got assigned to sit with and teach Brookelle's class.  They were so excited!  Especially Brookelle! 
Kyle & Haylee planned together.
They divided up the sections of the lesson.
They studied the concepts and the scripture stories.
Haylee even put together a bag of props to use in the lesson.
AND they assigned their other helper to bring a treat for the class.
They were ALL set!

Meanwhile, Matt & I returned home, just for the odd chance that he called on time, and set the Skype up.
Before the time he said he'd call, I went upstairs to my bathroom to brush my hair and teeth and put on some lip gloss.....and lo, and behold, he called EARLY!!!
Only Matt was in the room when Ryan's face filled our TV screen.
Apparently, Matt started calling my name, but I can't hear a thing from anywhere else in the house when I am in my bathroom....so I didn't even know he was already on.
When I did come down the stairs, just on my own time (without knowing he was on yet), I heard voices.
This is what I overheard:
Ryan: "Hey, Dad!  How's it going?"
Matt: "Good."  And then....silence.  (Seriously, he said just one word....to our son who we haven't seen in real life for 8 1/2 months!?!?!) 
Ryan: [laughing out loud] "Oh, wow, Dad.  You're still not a man of many words."
Matt: "I need your mother!  Where is she, to help me out?"
(Then I enter the room)
Matt: "Oh, good!  Here she is!"
And then he sat back, and visibly relaxed, and mostly listened to the rest of the [1 hr. 40 min.] conversation!
Hahahahaha hahahahaha hahahaha.

Oh, and I texted Kyle that Ryan had called and to come home now, so he gave his Primary class over to another young man, gathered up his little sisters, and they ran home to see/talk to Ryan!

And they didn't even get to teach their Primary lesson!!!  :(
It's because they were actually prepared.
YOU KNOW if they would've just bagged the lesson, thinking they wouldn't have to teach it, Ryan's call would've come late again, and they'd been lookin' like idiots in front of the Primary children!!

So, the moral of the story....
When you're expecting/counting on something, it doesn't/won't happen.  (I told you my life is governed by Murphy's Law!)
When you're NOT expecting/counting on something, your expectations are EXCEEDED (in this case, an EARLY call).

*****************************
As another interesting side note about the day, my other teenager son started asking me to take a picture with him.
WHAT?!?
Since WHEN does he want to take pictures with me?
When I couldn't get to it right away, he kept pestering asking me to do it.
Finally, I obliged.

Turns out, he had an ulterior motive.
Our photo ended up on Instagram later that day.....just like A LOT of his friends & their moms pictures did.  He can't miss out on what "all the other kids are doing" now, can he?!?  ;)

P.S. Besides the Skype with our missionary, everyone made & cleaned up a fabulous breakfast & dinner (the menus of my choosing), the talks at church were done well, I got a gift I had been wanting for a long time, I had the opportunity to read my book (undisturbed while everyone else was busy), and we stayed home TOGETHER.
I think this was my BEST Mother's Day to date!  ;)
(Lest you think I'm now a different person with a new opinion [or that someone is impersonating me on this blog post].......under different circumstances, my previous recorded feelings about Mother's Day still stand.)  ;)

Saved by My Own Stupidity

While the majority of the time I enjoy the great perk of working from home with my job at jetBlue, occasionally it is required to go into the office for team meetings, etc.

TODAY was one of those days. 

The same strict attendance/tardy policy applies for these meetings, too.  (And as a side note, I'm just one tardy away from being in SERIOUS trouble!)  It's a 30 minute drive to the office.  The meeting was at 12:30 p.m., so I planned to leave at 11:45 a.m. (just to be safe) but actually left at 11:55 a.m.  (Oooooo, cuttin' it close from the get-go).

THEN, I noticed (re-noticed actually because I'd seen it the night before, too) that the gas light was on.  Because I'm not the only driver of that car these days, thanks to a teenager, I had NO IDEA how much it had been driven, and how close the gas tank was to bone dry.

I knew if I ran out of gas on the freeway, it would be NOT be good for my "on-time performance" so I decided to take the first exit and find a gas station fast.  EXCEPT when I exited, there was no gas station to be found.  I first went down one main road, then turned around and went down another main road, and there wasn't a single gas pump in sight!  It wasn't a place I was familiar with, so I didn't know there wouldn't be one.  The only thing I knew about this neighborhood was that it was rumored to be kinda shoddy....so, I FOR SURE didn't want to run out of gas there!

So, I got back on the freeway (5 minutes lost).  This time, I figured I'd call Matt to tell me where the gas stations were in the Salt Lake area, so I wouldn't waste anymore time.  Well, by the time he looked anything up on the internet, I had already passed a few more major exits, and I was nervous about missing gas stations, so I got off on the next one.  And I found myself right in the middle of a
tear-up-the-road construction zone where ALL 256 cars were being diverted to one lane of traffic in each direction. 

THE CLOCK IS TICKING!

I finally make it up the street (it wasn't right by the exit) to a gas station.  I pull up to the pump - WHEW!  I'm not going to run out of gas! - open my purse, and NO WALLET.  I have a flashback of me taking my wallet up to my bedroom last night.  It must still be there!  I can't buy gas without money!  But, I have a check book - I know, one of the last people on earth.  I run inside and ask the guy if they accept checks for gas.  NOPE!

I get back in the car and drive down to another main road.  AND the railroad crossing barricades start coming down in front of me.  No, No, No!  My first instinct was literally to speed up and beat them!  You see these train/car accidents on the news sometimes, and we're all like, What idiots!  What were they doing on the train tracks?  Well, now I know!  ;)  But, I DID stop and waited.  Aware that more time was working itself off the clock.  I found another gas station and went inside and asked about if they were "check friendly."  NO GO!

You've GOT to be kiddin' me!  The clock now read 12:27 p.m.  I was about in tears!  Three minutes until my meeting started.  I was about 20 minutes away IF I drove straight there and didn't run out of gas.  BUT, we had been warned that if we were more than 15 min. late to the meeting, that we would not be admitted, and it couldn't be made up.  Maybe if I sped....?  I started to drive there, but I had a bad feeling I would run out of gas, though. 

Well, whatever I did, I figured I better call into the office and try to get a message to my supervisor BEFORE I was officially tardy (the one that might give me the AX!)  I spoke to the Supervisor on Duty and explained to her that I'd had a Series of Unfortunate Events and now I was going to be late for my team meeting. 
She asked who my supervisor was.  I told her.  She told me that the meeting was at 1:30 p.m.!!!!!  No, I told her it was at 12:30 p.m.
She said she hoped not because she was suppose to attend, and that would mean she was late, as well!  I said I hoped not because that would give me some time to get everything straightened out!
She looked at the master meeting schedule while she had me on the phone and verified that, in fact, my team meeting did not start until 1:30 p.m.  

OH!  I was SOOO relieved!!
It almost seemed like a dream - that I would wake up from, and still be late, in reality.

But, I swear, I had been told it started at 12:30, so I called home and had the girls look at our calendar for the time I had written down.....sure enough it said 1:30 p.m.  I HAVE NO IDEA HOW I GOT 12:30 IN MY MIND!

BUT, I was glad.  It turned out to be a blessing!

I then called Matt at work, asked him to leave and meet me at a 3rd gas station WITH A CREDIT CARD so we could fill the tank up with gas.  And he did (after he rescheduled a conference call that was about to begin).  I told him he was My prince to the rescue!  ;)

And then after that, my cell phone went dead.  Whew!  Another blessing - just in the nick of time.

Between the time I had to wait for Matt to drive over to meet me, and the time it took me to drive the rest of the way to the office, find a parking spot in a fuller-than-normal parking terrace, and walk in and sit down, I only had 5 minutes to spare.

BUT, I made it.  IN TIME.  Only because I [unknowingly] left my home an hour and 35 minutes before the meeting started), but I made it!  And that's what counts!  For ONCE, my mistake actually SAVED me!  Haha.  :)

We Aim High Around Here (?)

I found THIS "New Year's Resolution" paper in Katelyn's stuff.....

I wonder just WHERE IS that best set in the shcool found?  In her classroom?  In the Principal's office?  In the cafeteria?  In the Computer Lab?

Is it HARD to "land" this best set in the shcool?  Is it a "First come, First served" type of a deal?  Is it a "reward" for good behavior?  Is it "off limits?"  Is it only considered "the best" by Katelyn?  Or is she just hoping she [luckily] gets assigned to it when her teachers make random seat changes?"

It's obviously a very HIGH "set" that also has magic powers to make your legs grow extremely long when seated in it!   

Maybe it's the orange color that makes it so attractive?

And I wonder why she didn't include SPELLING SKILLS as part of her "aspirations" for 2013!?!  ;) haha.

Whatever the details are, however lofty [or not] her goal is -- good for her.  She's written it down, so it's SERIOUS.  How does that saying go?  "A goal not written down is just a wish?"  Or something like that.

Soooooo, that means I better write MINE down, right?!?
And what better place than my blog!  :)

The first one I made was for me AND Matt.  Don't you love it when other people push their agenda goals onto you?!?  ;)  But, he agreed to it immediately, so it wasn't as bad as it sounds.

Here it is:
We're going to invite another couple* to go out to dinner with us EVERY MONTH.
Hey!  Who says New Year's Resolutions can't be FUN?!?  They don't have to be grueling, sweat inducing, miserable, time consuming, mentally taxing, deprivation type goals, right?!?  Those are coming!)
I'm excited for this; we'll get to know our friends better, and make new friends, too!  We're already 1 for 1 as it is just January still.  We ARE taking a "waiting list" of couples who who like to be invited, so mail in your applications!  Just kidding.  :)
*As in a different couple every month -- unless we get turned down for these dates, and then we'll just stick with the one who says, "yes.")

Here's another one:
I'm going to get ready IN THE MORNING.
As in, before I start cleaning up.  Or paying bills.  Or get on the computer.  Or making my shopping list.  Or planning our vacations.  Or working on Young Women stuff.  Or looking for my ever-elusive cell phone.
THIS is going to be HARD
 .....because if I go into any part of my home, I can always see so MANY projects or duties "calling my name" that I want to start tackling right away.

But, what is my mantra, again?

BUT, I'm sick of being "caught" looking like a rag-a-muffin still too late in the day.  I feel like such a loser when that happens!   

PLUS, it just really makes a difference in feeling "on my game" and being productive.  When I AM doing a dozen other tasks while still in my "morning glory" (PJ's, no bra, bedhead, yesterday's leftover make up and smells), there's always that cloud hanging over my head saying, You still have to get ready! and it makes me feel 'eeeck' -- almost like I haven't accomplished anything, even though I have!  Do you know what I mean?

And, YES, I will have you know, here at 10:45 in the morning as I am working on my blog, I am fully dressed, make up, hair brushed, with earrings in!  Woo HOO!! :)

Which brings me to another one:
I want to write more on my blog.
It seems like ever since we moved into our new home, my posts have been declining.
But, ya know, it wasn't just since then, it was the whole time we were building this house, too.
....AND the entire time we had the old home up for sale - which was entirely WAY TOO LONG!
And, if we want to be really honest, my blog hasn't been given proper attention since I turned 40!  And that was in 2010.
I don't know why that's so, but just because I'm OVER THE HILL, doesn't mean that my "Weekly Gratitude List" should only gets changed every 4 months!
So, my plan is.....well, I don't want to disclose it exactly, so y'all won't hold me accountable if I don't follow it flawlessly......but, in my head I have decided that on certain days every week that I am going to write - of course, while I am fully clothed & READY for the day - and "reactivate" my blog.
And feel free to "motivate" me by leaving comments, I love 'em, so I'm not all by myself in blog world.
I chose the blog goal BECAUSE I really like to write in it (or is it 'on it'?) and I love to have the RECORD and the MEMORIES especially since I'm LOSIN' IT these days seems as I'm getting "UP THERE" in years.  (I get these comments from my kids!  Seriously.)
BUT, FOR REAL, I proved them RIGHT recently....I left my purse in the shopping cart, in a parking lot, at Wal-mart this week.  I unloaded the cart into my car, pushed my cart back to the "cart corral" and then walked back to my car without getting my purse out and drove home.....and didn't even notice until the next morning!  I had no recollection of doing that!  I usually put my purse in the car along with my merchandise at the same time.  I looked all over the place at home FIRST for my purse.  Then Matt told me I should go back to the store, but as I thought about it, I didn't really recall not having it with me - so I thought it was a "long shot."  PLUS, I'm ashamed of my lack of faith, but I figured IF I had left it at Wal-mart, it probably would've been stolen.  I didn't think the "People of Wal-mart" would be the most honest.  Well.....I WAS WRONG, and what a blessing!!!  My purse had been discovered by one of the store's "cart pushers" and returned to the Customer Service desk and was locked up in a back room until I came to retrieve it -- EVERYTHING intact, even my pens, lip balm, and leftover Santa Snickers candy!!!  (the most important things, ya know!)  :)

OK.  End of Sidetrack.

Back to these New Year's Resolutions.
I am implementing a healthier lifestyle.
I wrote down all these things that I can do.  BUT, unfortunately, right now I can't find that paper!  (See above section about losing my mind!)
Here's the good part:  I'm only going to start one new thing a month and then BUILD on each month - so it's not so overwhelming all at once - but after several months, and the end of the year, I'll have MANY good habits going on!
So, this month I have been drinking water.  A lot of it, too.  As in HALF my body weight in ounces each day.  (So, a 100 lb. person drinks 50 oz. of water/day.  A 150 lb. person drinks 75 oz. water/day.  A 400 lb. person drinks 200 oz. water/day.  You get the idea?)  I fit somewhere in there.  :)
I find drinking all that water bearable if I utilized THIS product sometimes:

(Now, please don’t burst my bubble and tell me that adding Crystal Light occasionally to my water isn’t technically water because in my fragile state right now I’m just not ready for that!  I know some super-strict water drinking people are wondering, but I DO fill the bottle up WITH WATER first [with pride] so I’m going to feel good about it.)
The only problem is....here's Murphy's Law in action in my life again....I have ALSO been sick this month with a variety of symptoms, but one of them is a violent cough - the kind of cough that shakes your whole body - or contracts all your muscles & seizes it up, one of the two.  And THAT condition does not go well with a constantly FULL BLADDER, if you know what I mean!  Note to self:  add "Do more laundry" to list of goals.  :)
So I have a couple more weeks to find that "healthy lifestyle" paper of mine, so I can add on the next thing in February.  That will give me more things to blog about later, thus, helping the above mentioned goal, as well.  SCORE!

And, last, but not least:
We just got a new ward cookbook, and I definitely need to make:
Jena Andrus' BUFFALO DIP
Julie Bushman's "FAMOUS DIP"
and
Dee Ann Stout's PINA COLADA FRUIT DIP
...and that's just in the Appetizers section.
I'll go through the rest of the cookbook, too, and try out new things.... of course, it needs to happen BEFORE I implement the "don't overdo it on dips/condiments" part to my healthy lifestyle plan!!  ;)


So, there you have it.  The FUN, the RIDICULOUS, & the HARD goals all mixed together.

HAPPY 2013, EVERYONE!

BUSTED!

A friend of mine came over the other day with a house warming gift......and it led to her seeing our new home.  REALLY, I will let you have a tour FOR FREE - you don't need to feel like you have to bring over a gift to "get your foot in the door!"  :)

So, I took her into the Laundry Room.

Here it is:

She looked at those upper cabinets for a while and admired them.....She commented that it would be nice to have some in her own laundry room.....Then she stalled a bit....Then she asked if she could open them and take a look inside to see if I was obsessed with laundry detergent and had filled them all up with a 12 yr. supply of it what I stored in there.  I agreed.  After all, I'm a pretty curious person, myself.  So, she opened it, and that's when I remembered my little "stash" I have in there.....

It was right at her eye level -- and she DID NOT miss it!  Ooops!  How embarrassing.

Here, have a closer look:

Hey! Sometimes, a girl's gotta do whatever it takes to get through and cope with the laundry that a family of 7 produces!!!  ;)

BUT, just for the record, those are from my JUNK BOX I got for my birthday, which was Sept. 14th, so I have made them last more than 2 months! 

Irony

I got rear ended today while driving in Salt Lake City.

While waiting for the cops to show up, we pulled over to the side of the road.  I turned my car around and parked behind him......

......and I noticed his van had one of THESE bumper stickers on the back:

 {But it had his REAL 1-800 number to call on the 2nd line}

 But, maybe he should consider changing it out for one of these instead:

hahaha :)

Another reason why I should just stay home!

It's the Day After Palm Sunday

Do you know what that means?
It means Lent is over.

I made it 40 days - and was 100% on my "No Candy" resolve.

Did I notice a difference? you ask?

Why Yes! (thanks for asking!) I got on the scale this morning......

AND it had changed by 5 pounds.....in the upward direction!

What the ???????????

So, if it doesn't even matter anyway..... I just went ahead and helped myself to a couple of Caramacs my in-laws just brought us back from Hawaii.

I've Been Having a "Ton of Fun" Lately

• This week I had my third mammogram in the last eight and a half months. YES, 3 TIMES IN 8 1/2 MONTHS!!! AND.....get this.....I get to go in AGAIN for my 4th in three more months. Now, THAT is a lot of smashin' going on! So much for delaying my first-ever mammo experience, I've more than made up for it, now. Apparently, I am not "textbook normal" and so that's put them in "appointment scheduling overdrive" while they try to figure me out. When I ask them questions, they reply, "I don't know." These "Medical Professionals" are quite impressive, wouldn't you agree?!? They deserve every bit of that HUGE salary they make to be able to give......the same answers my 3 yr. old does!

• I was feeling a little bit sad and paranoid after a local teen was hit by a car and killed this week while walking his bike across a crosswalk (I know! So terrible.) So, I decided I wanted to pick up Kyle at the Jr. High School after his track practice instead of letting him walk home. I arrived at 4:15 and couldn't see him. I waited out front. I drove around to the side of the school. I talked with a couple of the kids I saw there who either:

a) didn't know anything
b) hadn't seen him
c) told me track practice had been over for a while

So, I headed back home at 4:25, taking a different route in case he had started to walk and I had missed him on my way there. I arrived home at 4:28 without ever seeing him.
At 4:30 my phone rang. It was Kyle asking for a ride home from the school. I got back in the car......

• A chappy/red/rash looking thing has appeared under my lip (so lovely) this week, (great! Just in time for my 20 year mission reunion tonight) So, I have been putting Desitin on it in an attempt to get rid of it. When the kids see me, they're like, "MOM! Wash that toothpaste off your face! You look stupid!" I have opted not to correct them on this matter - in case this story "leaks" at school or during a Home Teaching visit, as it often does, I figure toothpaste sounds a lot better than butt paste!

• While pruning in the yard this week in preparation for our city's annual "Spring Cleanup" pick up of leaves, limbs, and branches, I was attacking a rose bush. The branch was a tough one. I was squeezing those pruners with all my might, crouching down to get more leverage, when I was finally able to cut all the way through....and the upper branch flipped and slammed down on top of my head, with a big thorn aligned just right to pierce my scalp and draw blood.

• I have been getting phone calls daily from, according to my caller ID:

"New Co"
"California"
"Operation Lookout"
"Chicago, IL"
"Name Unknown"
"PacificTel"
"American Express Customer Service"
"Name Unavailable"
"Beehive Bail Bonds"
and the like.
AND I'm on the "DO NOT CALL" list.

• I was out of lipstick, so I went to the store and bought some, along with some other things, this week. When I got home, I unloaded the bags and the "other things" were all there. The lipstick? NOT THERE. I had the privilege of returning all the way back to the store to retrieve it, since I actually wanted the product - I didn't want to pay for it just for giggles. The store clerk claimed he'd bagged it. Upon searching the area, it was found on the check out counter, unbagged. Does this new purchase have something to do with the redness issue mentioned above?

• It's allergy season! My body is reacting by sneezing violently multiple times in a row. Seriously, I can't even catch my breath when the sneezing starts; a-chu, a-chu, a-chu, a-chu, a chu, a-chu, A-CHUUUU! (or maintain bladder control.)

See, like I said, FUN, FUN!

Didn't mean to make y'all jealous.

So, what have you been up to lately? Anything "fun?"

What I Know For Sure - Volume I

"Glinda the Good Witch was right: "You've always had the power."
You just have to be still to find it. And when you do, you're on the way to finding the fullest expression of you."
Oprah Winfrey

Oprah frequently has/had a feature [in her magazine and on her show] called, "What I Know For Sure." The mood is usually serious and "emotionally healthy" as in the one I listed above in this post. I've decided that Oprah Winfrey is not the only one who knows so much, and so not to be outdone by one who makes more money than I can even comprehend, I have created my own list. So here it goes...
WHAT I KNOW FOR SURE:

1. When I am wearing a white shirt, a spill is inevitable.
   
2. When I go out in public (like running errands) NOT looking completely presentable, I WILL see someone I know, most likely from my High School days.
   
3. The later we are running in the mornings, the slower the kids go.
   
4. My kids WILL have to go to the bathroom after 3 minutes of being in the car, during dinner and in the middle of Sacrament Meeting.
   
5. T-Ball is SO painful to watch. Crowd: "Throw it!" Kid: (Holds the ball in his/her hand, frozen) Crowd: "Throw it!" Kid: (Gets this look on his/her face that says, "Who, ME?") Crowd: "Throw it!" Kid: (Looks at the ball in his hand, confused-like) Crowd: "Throw it!....Oh....never mind!" {The batter just ran into home.}
   
6. Whether I wake up at 5:30 or 9:30 in the morning, I am still tired.
   
7. When a roofer tells you, "Be patient with us" or that they will be able to get to work on your roof, "SOON" it really means, "I will just leave you hanging for 7 weeks and NOT DO A DARN THING to get your roof fixed all while NOT answering your emails nor calling you back when I said I would 'tomorrow' and forgetting who you are each time we do talk." And then you will end up calling someone else and start the process again!
   
8. Excedrin works on headaches. (I KNOW this thanks to #7)
   
9. Right when I'm in a good sleep, a toddler/child will be saying into my ear, "Mom, I want a cracker." (Does this have anything to do with #6?)
   
10. You (me?) can't stop at just one Hershey's Kiss.
    
11. Getting your hair colored costs WAY too much!
    
12. White Collar is a good show (on Netflix) and it doesn't hurt at all that one of the characters, Neal Caffrey, is "eye candy."
    
13. If you invite me to Costa Vida for lunch (or dinner) (or breakfast), my answer WILL be, "YES, PLEASE!"
    

Dis-Connected

I think I may have been one of the last one in the Modern World to get a cell phone! (At least it seemed like it.)

I didn't get one until January 2003.
{Everyone *GASP*}

I was 32 1/2 yrs. old.

This comes in real handy when my kids voice their desires for their own cell phone at their young ages.

Kids, I was 32 before I got my own cell phone!

To which they reply, Mom, cell phones weren't even invented when you were YOUNG!
(See how well that's workin' out for me!)

I didn't really think anyone needed a cell phone.

I know I didn't need the expense of one.

And the sentimental side of me doesn't like things to change from the good ol' days.

Ya know, the good ol' days when I ran out of gas, and I went to the nearest house and used their phone to call for help. And when I practically cut my finger off one day, went to the Dr. for stitches, and my husband never knew about it until he got home from work. And when I'd wait 2 HOURS for my Mom to come pick me up from piano lessons. And when my parents never knew where I was....OR when people had to call me at home to talk to me - when I was home - not when I was out on a HOT DATE!! (imagine that!)

Anyway, so I got my first cell phone back in 2003 -- ONLY BECAUSE my husband's company provided us with them. As in, his company bought our phones for us AND pays the monthly bill! If we hadn't been offered that benefit, I'd probably still be cell phone-less.
......And I wouldn't be facing the problem I am facing now!

You see, I was leaving on a trip to Washington D.C. yesterday morning - my alarm went off at 4:45AM, but Miss B beat it by coming into my bedroom crying at 3:30AM, and I never went back to sleep - so in my combined state of sleep-deprivation AND my unfortunate adult onset A.D.D./losing my mind condition, I found myself going through the security line at the SLC airport.

I had put my cell phone in my pants pocket since I thought that would be easier access than trying to find it in the bottomless-pit-of-a-handbag I was carrying. So, I loaded up the bins in the security line with my shoes, watch, 3 oz. or less liquids/gels/aerosols in a quart size ziploc bag...I've done the drill dozens of times. And then I set off the alarm when I went through the metal detector. The TSA agent suggested a cell phone may be the culprit -- Oh yeah, I forgot it was in my pocket! So, another TSA agent held out a separate small, round dish-like container for me to put it in and then sent it through the X-ray machine....way behind all our other regular-sized bins. (This is a very important fact to note!) I walked through the metal detector again without BEEP. Phew! So, then I hurriedly grabbed my shoes and handbag and urged my teenager to "get a move on it" up to the Gate to catch our flight. We took the first leg of our flight and landed, had a layover in another airport, boarded the second plane of our connection, and while preparing for take off, I heard the announcement to "Please turn off all cell phones and electronic devices until further instructed during our flight." I reached into my pants pocket for my cell phone -- NOTHING!


OH NO! The morning TSA series of events came back into my mind. I never picked up my cell phone out of that second container! It was still back in SLC and I was en route to Washington D.C.

(Jill, good thing I didn't get myself one of the fancy, schmancy "My Touch" internet phones you told me I "needed!")

I turned to my husband, {GASP!} I left my phone at Security! I frantically squeaked/wailed out.
YOU LEFT IT THERE?!? My husband firmly asked in disbelief. WHY?
(Because I'm a doe-head, OK?!?)

I did notice that this "interaction" we were having caught the attention of the woman sitting beside me - and out of my peripheral vision, I could see her gawking at us, listening intently, enjoying her "front row seat" of our unfolding drama. (I think she was concerned about my well-being, and was trying to identify if I had an "abusive" husband, or something! :) haha!)

So, here we are in D.C. now.....feeling TOTALLY LOST and OUT OF CONTROL since we have ONE cell phone (Matt's) between us travellers.

While he's attending his Conference, he has NO IDEA where we are and what we're doing or when to meet up with us.

If he gives us his cell phone to use, he has NO IDEA what time it is, since he has long since quit wearing a wrist watch.

When he starts getting extremely sleepy during a class, he can't request my help to counteract his situation with the text, "Talk dirty to me, Babe!" :) hahaha.

And when I'm in the Smithsonian, I can't text him (back at the Conference), "This 45.5-carat Hope Diamond is NOTHING compared to the wedding ring you gave me! ;)

It's FRIGHTENING how my opinion of cell phones has changed over these last 8 1/2 years!!

I experienced the same TRAUMA and completely OUT OF SORTS feeling when we went to Cancun earlier this year. I got there one day before Matt, and, although I managed to get through TSA with my cell phone on that trip, it did not work over there. It was "Searching" the whole time! I also did not have any computer with me. I couldn't get in touch with him very easy at all! I didn't know if he got on the plane, I didn't know where he was, I didn't know when (or if) he would get to the resort....It was a very freaky feeling. I finally did a credit card call from the room @ $45.00/5 min. - and an international exchange fee. Ouch!

It's gone from just appreciating the convenience of "modern connectivity" to being quite DEPENDENT on it! It's like I've been rendered disabled without it.
It's crazy, I tell you. CRAZY!

BTW - plz if u can tell me how 2 get help it would be gr8. thx. lol.

Wouldn't Ya Know It

I hoard money.

I'm scared to spend it....because then I MIGHT RUN OUT!

{What's THAT kind of Paranoia called? Bonus Points if you know!}

This mostly applies to Tax Return Money, Savings Account Money, and Gift Money that I receive. I just deposit it - and let it sit there....in case I NEED it, ya know?

Thus, we don't have any of the things "Everyone else" has - much to my son's dismay, as you may recall.

While some people have their Tax Return spent before they even get the check in the mail, I still have LAST YEAR'S Tax Return sitting in my account when the CURRENT YEAR'S Tax Return comes. WHEN that happens, I can start using LAST YEAR'S. That's how I spell, S-E-C-U-R-I-T-Y.

{That's probably how the REST OF YOU spell, W-E-I-R-D.} :)

So, since we've had the CURRENT YEAR'S Tax Return for a few months now, my fear of finishing up using LAST YEAR'S dissipated, so we did. Except THEN I went against my usual hoarding practice recently and decided to ALSO use THIS YEAR'S money to purchase something [right now.] AND it wasn't exactly a "Need-to-have" purchase, either. It was definitely a "Nice-to-have" purchase. And it took a big chunk from THIS YEAR'S money, too!

{GULP}

{Soooo OUT OF MY COMFORT ZONE!}

AND THEN GUESS WHAT HAPPENED? Guess what happened when we prematurely used the money?

*Our Automatic Garage Door Opener broke.

*My Master Bathroom sink/plumbing went KA-PUT (and waterlogged 9 good rolls of extra plush Toilet Paper that were stored beneath!)

*A rock flipped up and caused a [most likely unrepairable] "spider web" in our minivan windshield.

*An unnamed child [Katelyn] tried doing pull ups (or SOMETHING) on the window blinds and it snapped right in two.

*The basement carpet got damaged due to our WET spring

*The wind blew a ton of shingles off our roof - time for a new one.

*We have a multi-cracked bedroom window.

*My In-Laws are coming home from their mission in a few weeks...but we've been using some of their furniture to replace our crappy stuff we threw out... so we could show our home better...and the plan was to buy our own before they came back, so they could have furniture, too....ACTUALLY, the plan was to SELL OUR HOME before they came back - but, WHATEVER!

*Our gyrating washing machine chewed up the laundry room flooring.

*And we need a new driveway.

THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT WHEN I SAY I MIGHT NEED SOME MONEY!!!

I guess I'll have to dip into my Christmas Gift money that's been sitting in the account. Merry Christmas to me!!

Murphy.....Leave me Alone!

Lesson learned. Go back to hoarding.

More Murphy's Law in Action

We were on a Family Outing this week and were enjoying the day at Palisades State Park, recreating in the lake...when all of a sudden, a hurricane whipped through!

Certain of my family members keep informing me that "We don't have hurricanes in Utah!" (so, maybe I should say, "hurricane-like conditions" during a micro burst thunderstorm to appease those persons!)

Anyway, we were just the "Day Use" people, but there were other people who were camping there...and when the hurricane came, they.were.in.trouble! Their dingy boat became airborne and then flew/tumbled afar off. There were 5+ people trying to fight the awnings of their RVs to get them down. Others' tents were blowing over sideways and entire canopies were blown up and away and then the frame went tumbling after. We hurried into action chasing down some of these items for them and helping with the awnings, etc. and then we could leave since we were "Day Use" people. We drove away feeling very sorry for all those people. In fact, we drove 45 min. back to our place grateful that we were NOT those people.

And then, we came upon OUR camp and this is what we saw.....

Our distance from Palisades had NOT made us immune from the storm.

Apparently, the same weather had found us.

Our tent was down.

It was soaking wet (& still raining).

There were puddles on top and puddles inside (our windows had been left open.)

All of our bags, clothes, pads, sleeping bags were inside, in those puddles.

We crawled in the collapsed, wet tent to "rescue" our things.

We were drowned rats. (sorry no photo taken)

We had to "relocate" for a time.

And live out of our car.

It took an entire day/night to dry out.

The final night, we moved back into our tent, only to be awakened by Katelyn screaming out. Upon investigation, we found her (and her pillow, sleeping bag, & pad) covered in throw up - with a good portion of it matted in her curly locks! A middle-of-the-night trip to the community shower was in order. As she cried the whole while!

We are the world's worst camping neighbors! (Everyone around us was "treated" to her yelling in the night last week, too, at our ward campout.)

So, now, after several nights of crappy sleep, I get to do my first Triathlon tomorrow --

Wish Me Luck!